7 April 2025 Thousands of workers dismissed from the US Department of Health and Human Services this week may soon be reinstated, after health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr admitted that a significant share of the job cuts were made in error.
Mumbai-based Mankind Pharma has completed its acquisition of Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), adding to its portfolio in the women’s health and fertility market. 24 October 2024
Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, the Nordic biotech company also known as Sobi, today announced significantly improved financial results for the third quarter of 2024, sending the firm’s shares up 2.5% to 333.60 kronor in early trading. 24 October 2024
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) voted to expand its recommendation for the use of certain pneumococcal vaccines, including Prevnar 20 (20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) for all adults aged 50 and older. 24 October 2024
Sino-America clinical-stage biotech Eccogene announced that it will receive a $60 million payment from AstraZeneca, which is being triggered by successfully achieving milestones related to the development of ECC5004/AZD5004 including the first patient dosed in the Phase IIb program. 24 October 2024
Ocuphire Pharma has announced its acquisition of Opus Genetics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on treating inherited retinal diseases. 24 October 2024
Editas Medicine has announced plans to seek a partner or buyer for its lead CRISPR program, reni-cel, as the company continues to shift its strategy. 23 October 2024
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved US pharma major Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) Kisunla (donanemab) for people in Britain with mild cognitive impairment or those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. 23 October 2024
France-based clinical-stage biotech Duhn Therapeutics (which is co-founded by Landmark BioVentures) and Swiss firm OM Pharma announced an exclusive license agreement to advance a pipeline of lipid-based cancer immunotherapies. 23 October 2024
US clinical-stage biotech AvenCell Therapeutics announced that it has raised $112 million in Series B financing, which was led by global life sciences investor Novo Holdings. 23 October 2024
Swiss pharma giant Roche this morning reported that, in the first nine months of 2024 group sales increased by 6% at CER (2% in francs) to 45.0 billion francs ($52.0 billion). 23 October 2024
Shares in Sangamo Therapeutics surged around 40% on Tuesday, following the announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration has granted the company a faster path to approval for its gene therapy ST-920 (isaralgagene civaparvovec) for Fabry disease. 23 October 2024
South Korean firm SK bioscience announced that Indonesia’s Food and Drug Agency, BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan), has approved the Biologics License Application (BLA) for the SKYCellflu quadrivalent prefilled syringe. 23 October 2024
Shares of Swedish drugmaker Camurus fell almost 10% to 588.50 kroner yesterday after it revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter (CRL) regarding the new drug application (NDA) for CAM2029 (octreotide) extended-release injection for the treatment of patients with acromegaly. 23 October 2024
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), yesterday released new data showing that nearly 1.5 million people with Medicare Part D saved nearly $1 billion in out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs in the first half of 2024 because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 23 October 2024
UCB today announced that the company has regained all global rights to bepranemab following termination of a collaboration agreement with Swiss pharma giant Roche and its US subsidiary Genentech. 22 October 2024
UK pharma major AstraZeneca’s Alexion Rare Disease unit has received a positive recommendation for Voydeya (danicopan), from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). 22 October 2024
UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended elafibranor 80mg tablets for the treatment of PBC, the drug’s French developer Ipsen announced today. 22 October 2024
The uveitis treatment market across seven major markets—the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan—is projected to grow from $522 million in 2023 to $1.5 billion by 2033, according to a report from data analytics firm GlobalData. This marks an annual growth rate of nearly 11%. 8 April 2025
In the USA, the layoffs at health agencies, proposed tariffs on imports and other disruptive policies under President Donald Trump have led some to express concern over a potential ‘brain drain’ impacting pharma and other industries. 8 April 2025
Myricx Bio, a UK biotech focusing on the discovery and development of a novel class of payloads for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), is expanding its team. 8 April 2025
Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan) has been approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative (IHC 0, IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) breast cancer who have received endocrine therapy and at least one line of chemotherapy in the advanced setting. 8 April 2025
US biopharma Rhythm Pharmaceuticals has announced positive topline results from the pivotal Phase III TRANSCEND trial evaluating setmelanotide, a melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, for the treatment of acquired hypothalamic obesity. 8 April 2025
Indian drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries revealed it has launched fexuprazan tablets 40mg in India under the brand name Fexuclue, which is a novel potassiumcompetitive acid blocker (PCAB) that is approved as a new treatment for adults with erosive esophagitis of all grades. 8 April 2025
Following hot on the heels of Monday’s European Commission EC approval of an indication extension for Johnson & Johnson’s Darzalex (daratumumab) for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, comes a second EC approval today – this time in lung cancer. 8 April 2025
Ireland’s government remains confident in its ability to retain the country’s strategic position in pharmaceutical manufacturing, despite rising tensions between the European Union and the United States over trade policy. 8 April 2025
At the recent AD/PD 2025 International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Cerevance announced that solengepras, a first-in-class G-protein coupled receptor 6 (GPR6) antagonist in development for early PD, failed to meet its primary endpoint in the Phase II ASCEND trial as a monotherapy. 8 April 2025
US biotech company Vertex Pharmaceuticals has received European Commission approval to extend the use of its cystic fibrosis therapy, Kaftrio (ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor), in combination with ivacaftor. 8 April 2025
Australia’s Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a safety notice on isotretinoin, originally sold as Roaccutane by Swiss pharma giant Roche. 8 April 2025
The USA’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) yesterday released the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Rate Announcement for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs that finalizes the payment policies for these programs. 8 April 2025
US biotech start-up RayThera has secured $110 million in series A financing to fund the early clinical development of its small molecule drug candidates in immunology. 8 April 2025
The UK’s Prime Minister has announced action to accelerate the discovery of life-saving drugs, improve patient care and make Britain the best place in the world for medical research. 8 April 2025
Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals industries today revealed two important updates reflecting its commitment to expanding access to both biosimilars and innovative medicines. 7 April 2025
Alzheon, a privately-held clinical-stage biopharma company, presented promising Phase III APOLLOE4 trial results for ALZ-801 (valiltramiprosate) in treating mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in APOE4 homozygous patients at the AD/PD 2024 International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (PD). 7 April 2025
South Korean clinical-stage biotech ABL Bio on Sunday announced a worldwide licensing agreement enabling GSK to develop novel medicines for neurodegenerative diseases by utilizing ABL Bio's blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform, Grabody-B. 7 April 2025
China-based biotech DualityBio has named Hua Mu as its global chief medical officer, as the company prepares to ramp up its international clinical development efforts and advance toward key capital market milestones. 7 April 2025
US-listed biotech CASI Pharmaceuticals has received a revised proposal from its chairman and chief executive Wei-Wu He to acquire its business in China along with certain regional rights to pipeline drugs for $20 million. 7 April 2025
Italy-based Angelini Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Angelini Industries, has named Regina Hodits as managing director as it looks to scale its biotech investment activities across Europe and North America. 7 April 2025